Hey Kafka!
by Kafka'sdragon
Summary: A collection of miscellaneous ideas with no set theme or style. Why won't the plot bunnies let me rest? Chapter 2 featuring Collet Farandole and Emily Sevensheep is up.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Like others, I have all of these ideas running around that won't make it into a full length story, so I am collecting them here to unleash on an unsuspecting public. My intent is to not only to eliminate some of these pesky plot bunnies, but to also write something different from what I normally do.**

**First up is Asuna. If you can't stand a little romantic fluff, then press the back key. You have been warned.**

**Negima and its characters belong to Ken Akamatsu.**

**As Lovely As …**

She stood upon the hillside, stately and serene, and patiently waited for him to arrive. "Patience," she once would have laughed. "Me?" But it was true, Asuna had learned to be patient and understanding and to face each day without the myriad of doubts that once assailed her. Ever since the change …

How long had it been, she briefly wondered. Three years? Four? Or maybe a full score? It didn't really matter, not anymore. Not as long as he came.

'There he is,' her heart sang as the boy now grown into a young man walked up the trail.

"Hello Asuna," Negi greeted her, smiling that smile of his she adored. After reaching his goal of the name 'Magister Magi', he had settled in Mahora and became a fulltime faculty member. "Would you like me to read?"

Without an answer, Negi sat on the ground and leaned his back against her. Even through his shirt she could feel the ripple of muscles, the beating of his heart, and the slow expansion and contraction accompanying each breath the young man drew. As he flipped through the pages, she could see the tiny, black letters against the creamy white pages.

"_She won't be angry with me," said Alicia. "Why would she Kate? Every word I wrote her was true. This is the most horrible place in the world. You know it is." _

The words cascaded from his lips, enchanting her with their cadence. In truth it didn't matter what Negi read, as long as she could hear the resonance of his voice. Calmed by his presence, she lapsed into reminiscing about times when she was younger.

"What's the matter with you Kagurazaki?" Evangeline had screamed at her during one of the dark mage's infamous training sessions. "You're moving slower than a zombie today."

"I don't feel good," she bellowed in answer.

"Then why waste my time if you're not feeling up to it?" the little vampire shouted back. "Break everyone."

Konoka was at her side instantly. "Are you injured?" her friend asked, eager to practice another healing spell.

"No, I just feel stiff all over," Asuna replied while rubbing a hand along her arm. "Probably one of those 24 hour bugs."

"Maybe you should rest for awhile," Setsuna suggested as the swordswoman approached. "You've been working yourself pretty hard our last few times."

"I'll be fine in a little while," she had maintained.

Konoka stared for moment. "You've got a twig tangled in your hair," the healer told her and then tried to yank it out.

"Owwww!" she had screeched. "Stop it! Stop it! Stop pulling!"

--

The headmaster had looked at her with as mournful an expression as Asuna had ever seen. "After a thousand years, the World Tree is dying," he declared.

"What's that got to do with me?"

"The tree has existed for millennia constantly dying and being reborn," the old man answered. "Near the end of each tree's period of life, a new host is born. And she is called the Imperial Princess of the Twilight."

Words spun around in her mind, like the cage a hamster runs in, but made no sense. "I don't understand," she cried. "What does that mean to me?"

"You were born for a single purpose Asuna," the headmaster said in a voice as awful as a woodsman's ax that bit into a rotting trunk. "You will become the next World Tree when the current one dies."

--

How she had tried to maintain the façade that nothing was wrong. Asuna was another middle-school student, but the changes came despite her foolish denials. Skin grew rough and uneven as hair metamorphosed into leaf bearing stems. Most of her classmates pretended not to notice, though few of them would speak with her. It all came to a head when she, late for class, struggled to open the door.

"How long are we supposed to pretend?" Chisame has yelled loud enough to be heard in the hall. "It's obvious that Asuna isn't going to change back."

"Chisame," Negi said, trying to calm his distraught student. "We must understand Asuna's condition."

"I do understand it," the girl responded. "And there's nothing that can be done."

"Chisame," again his voice called, but the girl would have none of it.

"We've done everything humanly possible to take care of Asuna and put up with her," Chisame sobbed. "No one can reproach us in the slightest."

"No we haven't done everything," the boy replied. Though he spoke in a level tone, Asuna could hear the flash of anger in Negi's voice. "Asuna is still Asuna. We have called her friend; and despite what's happened, she remains our friend."

Crying, trembling, she had been about to leave when Negi said, "Ayaka. Please open the door for Asuna."

Walking into the classroom, she could barely see from the thick tears that ran down her face like sap. "Sensei … I," Asuna said, "I'm sorry I'm late."

"That's alright," Negi responded, smiling at her as if nothing had occurred. "Will you please read the poem listed on the blackboard?"

"I have trouble holding a book," she replied.

Konoka sprang up immediately with an "I'll help" and stood before her with an open book.

"I think that I shall never see," she recited, taking time to carefully pronounce each word. "A poem as lovely as a … a … tree."

Anger surged throughout every fiber as enraged eyes sought out the boy she had thought was her friend and defender. "How could you mock me like this," Asuna wanted to shriek, but the blaze of anger died as she looked into Negi's eyes. His gaze wasn't mocking nor was his smile a smirk. Rather they were compassionate and accepting. Reflecting in the boy's face was something she couldn't name then, but later came to call it love.

--

Negi loved her despite the drubbings, the name calling and her stubbornness. To him, she would always be Asuna. Limbs ached to wrap around the young man reading to her, but she could only tremble in response. He stopped reading and gazed up at her leafy branches. Raising a hand, he caressed her bark in the way a lover would.

The entire class had been with her on the final day of her transformation. The old tree had been removed and given funeral honors while Asuna's feet took root in the soil. Evangeline had stayed behind after the rest had departed. "Now you're trapped like me Asuna," the little vampire had whispered. "But unlike me, you know you'll eventually be released."

A thousand years was a long time and even being a mage, she realized that one day Negi would no longer come to her. But in her late blooming wisdom, Asuna decided that the future should remain in the future. Today she was with one she loved and who loved her in return. It was enough.

--

**A/N: This was of course based on the Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka. I owe a debt of gratitude to Greve Piertov Luchinoriconi for suggesting trees over roaches. It makes for a better story that way.**

**The lines Asuna recites are from the poem "Trees" by Joyce Kilmer. The passage Negi reads is from "The Perilous Gard" by Elizabeth Marie Pope.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors' Notes:**

**This story originally started out as a couple of scenes to be incorporated into "The Key of the Twilight." However, when I asked another writer for his opinion on it, it suddenly mushroomed into a collaborative effort between Makuhari_Fan01 and I. We had considered keeping this as background material, but there is a distinct lack of stories with Collet and Emily in the Negima section, so welcome to "Maho Sensei Farandole and Sevensheep."**

**This story fits into the alternate universe common to "Ala Alba in the World of Magic", "Markham Chronicles Negima" and "Chao Lingshen: Coming Home".**

**Magister Negi Magi is owned by Ken Akamatsu and Kodansha Ltd. Tokyo in Japan, and by Funimation and Ballantine - DelRey in the United States, NOT by Makuhari_Fan01 or Kafka'sdragon.**

(-)

"Honor… Courage… Dedication…

Do not speak these words as if they were merely words. They are the foundation of all that we do, the compass that guides us through the darkest forests, the shining pinnacle to which we must aspire. Do not mouth them like a schoolchild listlessly reciting a lesson. Live them… breathe them… drink deeply of their power and make it your own."

- General Hippolyta Otero, Valkyrie Brigade Commander, Independent Educational City State of Ariadne.

(-)

**A Tale of Two Valkyries.**

/191518AMAI2004/ARIADNE/ISLE/DE/LEUTICIA/TRAINING/GROUND/

(The Training.)

Rounding a corner, two armored cadets rushed forward, moving low to the ground. Beatrix could hear Collet, nervous about messing up yet again, count each step as they went. Reaching their destination, both girls took up defensive positions with energy lances at the ready. "Go," the team leader said into the helmet's built-in microphone.

From off to their right, another pair of cadets charged past in an intricate game of leapfrog. Over and over they continued the pattern, ingraining through repetition what needed to be second nature in the field. Like her fellow cadets, Beatrix found the constant drilling boring; however, the instructors were adamant about practicing to the point of exhaustion, and then doing it one more time for good measure.

Arriving at the objective, her team halted and fanned out into a forward facing, semi-circle. As acting corporal in Emily's absence, Beatrix broadcast their progress to her counterpart, "Team Beta ready."

"Team Delta ready," came Louise du Blanc's response over the tactical link. "How long do you think Ibanez is going to have us race around the ruins today?"

Lance Corporal Carmen Ibanez had been a private in the knight contingent aboard the Argonauta when the vessel was attacked during last year's Ostian Peace Festival. The woman was tough, uncompromising and, according to several of Beatrix' squad mates, took a sadistic pleasure in running them into the ground. And as a recipient of the city's Order of the Golden Gryphon 5th Class, that put their instructor one up on the five students that had received the 7th class medals for bravery in battle. Those medals had been a contentious issue among her classmates until the others realized how much harder Ibanez was on awardees. Speaking of which…

"Collet!" Her teammate's weapon was set to the side as the beagle-girl fiddled with a boot strap. "You're supposed to be covering the rear!"

"My strap came undone," the girl explained as Beatrix noticed the telltale discharge of an energy lance.

Quickly she swung her weapon up and activated its deflexio shield. The bolt struck and its force jarred her from head to toe. With a thought, Beatrix activated the transmitter. "Team Beta!" she shouted into the microphone. "We're under fire."

Even if Louise responded to the call, she couldn't hear it due to the ringing in her ears. Bolts flew thick and fast, seemingly coming from every tumbled down building on the block. Jei and Sachi had their shields up as Collet glanced about in confusion.

"Shoot back!" Sachi yelled at the girl.

"Where?" the cadet wailed in despair.

Still maintaining her shield, Beatrix activated the battle armor's sensors. Data confirmed that the vast majority of the attacks were cleverly crafted illusions. "Collet," she said, "Look at the doorway straight ahead of me. On my order, concentrate your fire there until I tell you to stop."

As the beagle-girl sighted her weapon on the opening, Beatrix waited with baited breath for the next flash. "Fire!"

"No! Wait!" Beatrix shouted suddenly as her lance's sensors flashed a friendly-forces indicator, warning her that Collet was aiming in the wrong direction. Unfortunately, the beagle-girl had already activated the energy release and flooded her targeted doorway with withering fire.

"Stand down!" Ibanez' order rang loudly in the headphones. "All teams stand down!"

Medics rushed into the building and emerged a few minutes later, carrying a dazed cadet between them. Though Marie du Noir's armor was streaked by blast marks the girl seemed otherwise unharmed.

"Who fired that weapon?" Lance Corporal Ibanez demanded as she walked up to the scene.

As the team's leader, Beatrix knew she had to speak up, yet she was frozen in place. Collet slowly shuffled forward and with downcast eyes said, "I did."

/191752AMAI2004/ARIADNE/CADET/COMMANDANT/OFFICE/

(The Consequences.)

Standing as the grizzled beast-man entered her office, Captain Hild indicated a nearby chair. "Please be seated Dean Farandole," she said. "And thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to see me."

"I'm never too busy to speak with the Commandant of Cadets," Balthazar remarked as he settled into the offered chair. "I assume you wish to discuss my niece."

"I do indeed sir," the Valkyrie replied. "At times, she's displayed promise, but overall her progress has been disappointing. Collet ranks at the bottom of the class and instructors consistently grade her as borderline satisfactory at best."

"I see," the girl's guardian replied. "So what happens next?"

Of all of the tasks Captain Hild had to perform, her predecessor warned, this would prove the hardest. It wasn't as if she disliked Collet, but it would be breaking her faith to the brigade to let the scatter-brained teen slide through. "I provide assessments of each cadet throughout the year," the officer explained. "As of right now, my recommendation is that your niece be removed from training."

Balthazar Farandole was a hard person for her to read, but Hild could tell the old mage was neither surprised nor pleased by what she said. "The vast majority of cadets never complete our rigorous training," the captain told him. "I know many girls who have gone on to outstanding careers in other fields."

"As do I captain," the dean responded. "When is your assessment due?"

"I'll turn them in at the end of the term," she answered.

"So she still has a chance to turn things around?"

"I don't want to risk giving any false hopes sir," Hild answered. "It would take a considerable … no let's be honest … it would take a miraculous improvement for her to continue as a cadet."

"My niece grew up in Oxia," Balthazar said. "She lost her parents ten years ago during riots sparked by the influx of refugees from elsewhere in the Empire. As her home was burned to the ground, she fled to the swamps outside of the city walls. I have no idea what it was like for a five year-old to lose home and parents. Nor how she survived on her own for two weeks, but she did. When offered a choice of where to go, she asked to come to Ariadne declaring; 'I want to be a Valkyrie'."

Hild sat in her chair, stunned by the dean's story. It wasn't that she disbelieved it for too many tales just as fantastic had occurred in the years since the Great War; rather, it was that the child hadn't been permanently scarred by such traumatic events. She would never have guessed that behind the cheerful smile Collet greeted each day with, such tragedy lay.

"She survived being kidnapped by a dangerous criminal and with one other person brought down a god soldier." Light sparkled in the beast-man's eyes as they fastened on to Hild. "I don't expect you to show her any leniency, but I think it would be a shame to deny such spirit the full opportunity to fulfill a dream."

"Collet has three weeks," the captain finally said. "If your niece can perform to standards in the time remaining, she'll have earned the right to stay."

/191942AMAI2004/ARIADNE/FARANDOLE/RESIDENCE/

(The Choice.)

Sitting in her uncle's darkened study, Collet Farandole thought about the day's events, and wondered what was going to come of them...

_'Gross negligence and endangerment of fellow cadet, while engaged in a simulated combat.'_

For all that she was clumsy, and prone to make mistakes, she'd never done anything before to equal that. Distracted by part of her uniform coming loose, she'd failed to really pay attention to where Beatrix meant for her to aim, and had nearly shot another cadet. Even Grandmistress' Seras promise to make her a Valkyrie Mage Knight even if it killed Collet was no protection this time...

With the quiet sound of well-oiled tumblers and hinges, the door to her uncle's house opened, and then closed. There was a soft scuffing as he changed into his indoor shoes, then silence until his form filled the doorway to the study.

"Collet..."

Fearing the worst, Collet stood and turned to face her uncle. "Yes Sir?"

His face hidden by shadows, Balthazar Farandole knew his expression was, for the moment, completely unreadable. "Bring me your provisional contract card."

Eyes wide at the unexpected order, Collet hesitated until her uncle's posture suddenly became one of controlled irritation. Scrambling to obey, she rushed up the stairs to her room, returning less than a minute later with the card.

Silently holding out his hand, Balthazar waited until Collet, her hand trembling, handed it over. Still mute, he turned and quickly placed the card inside the wall safe he used for his private papers. "Collet..."

Still trembling, Collet stiffened at the disappointed tone of her uncle's voice. "Ye... Yes Sir?"

Leaving his hand on the safe door, Balthazar turned to face his niece. "Privilege is not something you purchase for twenty-five drachma. True privilege carries with it equal responsibility, and is something you earn through thoughtful, consistent, hard work and effort."

Seeing the look on her uncle's face, Collet began to feel a piercing, paralyzing fear she'd not known since she'd been trapped by quicksand in the swamps outside Oxia. This time though, there wasn't a strange, white-haired boy around to pull her to safety... This time, for all intents and purposes, she was completely alone... "Yes Sir."

Letting his hand drop, Balthazar turned away from Collet once more. "In three weeks, I'm going to write a letter to that young Negi Springfield. It's up to you what the contents of that letter might be."

Knowing she had been dismissed, Collet left her uncle's study, put on her outside shoes, and then left the house.

Ariadne Magorum was on the other side of the city, a few tens of minutes away by broom, at most. Instead, she began to walk...

Tail hanging limply between her legs, Collet fought to keep back the tears that were trying to come. Her dream was over... She would never be a Valkyrie Mage Knight now... Three weeks was just too short a time to even try to turn things around...

_"I'm not going to waste my time, if you're not going to try and help yourself."_

Shocked by the recollection of such an old memory, Collet looked up at the stars, focusing on them and silently mouthing the words she'd spoken in answer to that statement, so long ago... _"Ple...please help me..."_

Standing on the edge of the dangerous ground, the white-haired boy had shaken his head.

_"I'm not going to risk myself if you're going to keep struggling. By the time I could get to you, you will have already gone under and suffocated."_

With the muck about to cover her mouth, Collet couldn't really understand why he wouldn't just jump in and help her. Both parents had always told her to be leery of strangers, but this 'stranger' was the only one around who could possibly help. As frightened as she was, she did her best not to move. Much to her surprise, she stopped sinking.

Along with showing a faint smile, the boy cast an anchor spell, magically securing him to firm ground, then slowly began easing his way out into the quicksand until he finally managed to grasp her hand.

As clouds slowly covered the stars and a light rain began to fall, Collet remembered she'd had to make a conscious decision not to jerk desperately on the boy's hand. He'd smiled at her self-control, then after resettling his grip, had begun to slowly pull her out.

Once more on safe ground, covered nearly head to toe in smelly muck and shaking so much with relief it was hard to stand, she had watched in disbelief as the boy just turned and walked away. Not knowing what else to do, she followed.

Never really understanding his motive for helping, she had stayed with him until he finally sent her to Ariadne. Once there, surprisingly, her application to join the Valkyrie Mage Knight program was accepted.

Having crossed the city while lost in her thoughts, Collet entered the Ariadne Magorum grounds without really noticing she'd done so.

_("So, unless I'm willing to help myself, then there's no chance, is there?")_

Wandering aimlessly about the school grounds, Collet eventually found herself standing before the trainee armory...

/192155AMAI2004/ARIADNE/CADET/COMMANDANT/QUARTERS/

(The Call.)

Responding to an annoying trilling, Vigdis Hild woke up, and then reached over to activate the magical holo-com beside her bed. "This is Captain Hild speaking."

A ku-jin she recognized as the night security officer at the trainee armory appeared in the holo image. "Captain. She is authorized to do so, but I still thought it best to inform you that a cadet drew a set of armor, and is currently out running the obstacle course."

Looking at the timekeeper next to the holo-com, Hild felt her eyes grow wide. _("No way... it couldn't be...")_ "Who is it?"

Briefly looking away, the ku-jin consulted something unseen to the holo, and then focused on Hild again. "Cadet Farandole, Captain. There is a note saying she's under a temporarily suspended administrative discipline restriction, but it doesn't say she can't access equipment during her personal time."

Not daring to even hope for now, Hild gave a sigh, and then looked right at the ku-jin. "That's fine. However, if Cadet Farandole doesn't come in for after-hours extra-curricular training every day, even once, over the next three weeks, you let me know, or make sure whoever has the duty lets me know, before cadet reveille sounds the next morning. Understand?"

Showing just a bit of curiosity, the ku-jin nodded. "Very well Captain. I'll make sure everyone is aware of your instructions."

As the holo-com image faded, Hild rolled onto her back. One day did not a miracle make. It only remained to see then, what Collet Farandole was truly capable of.

With that thought, Vigdis Hild instantly dropped off into an unworried sleep.

/061409AIUN2050/ARIADNE/HEADQUARTERS/ARIADNE/DEFENSE/COMMAND/

(The Future.)

_Small though it was, Ariadne had managed to survive against the depredations of Grand Magus Millennium because it had never allowed itself be lured into a false sense of security by the promises of the Magus or his allies. That it was being attacked now was an action of its own making._

_Through the use of information concerning a possible vulnerability in its defenses, given to known and turned spies, Ariadne had drawn the majority of the Grand Magus' reserves away from Megalo-Mesembria. By doing so, General Preston Markham would be able to break through from the Mundus Vetus by using the family secret of the Adenaurs of Ariadne, the one-way gate port through the Bermuda Triangle._

_Backed up by the firepower of a rebuilt Vetus battleship, and the best Special Forces the Mundus Vetus had to offer, General Markham would attempt to do what no one else had managed to do... Assassinate Grand Magus Millennium._

_Deep below Bently Priory, one of the least likely places for the center of Ariadne's defense in the entirety of the old walled city, Grandmistress Emily Sevensheep sat watching as the Commander-in-Chief of Ariadne's military forces went about her job._

_Whaleships, Valkyrie Mage Knights, the Adenaur MagiTech Heavy Infantry, all the lesser forces at Ariadne's disposal, even a Mundus Vetus Aegis Cruiser, acquired when the old Estimated Prophet was finally forced to be retired. The General manipulated them all with the skill of a chess master, meeting and countering each move of the attacking enemy forces._

_Suddenly, the tone of the General's voice rose slightly. Feeling a sense of crisis, as if the threat to Ariadne was reaching its peak, Emily leaned forward slightly to get a better look at the Strategic Holo Tank. When the orders stopped flowing for a moment, she gently placed a hand on the General's shoulder. "Do we still have a reserve?"_

_Not taking her eyes off the holo tank for an instant, the General shook her head. "No, Grandmistress. There are no more reserves. Everything is now in the defense line."_

_Nodding, Emily leaned back so she wouldn't be in the way._

_Considering the General had once been a Valkyrie Cadet on the verge of washing out, she should have been worried._

_However, that wasn't the case._

_Despite her poor beginning, General Collet Farandole had come a long way since the time both of them were cadets._

_No more reserves or not, Emily Sevensheep had every confidence in the abilities of her friend, and in the eventually outcome of the battle at hand._

/192301AMAI2004/ARIADNE/CADET/DORMITORY/

(The Leader.)

"Gaaah!" Roused from her sleep, Emily sat suddenly upright in bed. Disoriented, the girl gazed about in confusion until her surroundings slowly resolved into the cadet's bedroom. "What a horrible dream," she muttered while wiping a sleeve across a perspiring forehead. Slipping out of the bed, she pulled a robe over her night gown and padded towards the door. Ready to congratulate herself over not disturbing her roommate, the teen nearly jumped when Beatrix asked, "Is something wrong?"

Though her feet remained securely anchored to the floor, Emily's heart had leapt straight out of the top of her head and lay beating somewhere by the ceiling. "Beatrix," she gasped and then took a deep breath. "You startled me."

"I'm sorry," the other girl apologized. "I heard you get out of bed and wondered if there was a problem."

"No, no problem," she replied. "I, uh, need to use the bathroom."

Though cadets where no longer housed in open bays, their quarters still had common areas such as the day room and latrines. Those who complained about the inconvenience where promptly reminded of the more austere conditions aboard ship or in the field. As she sat down on the bench outside the showers, Emily pondered the dream that had woken her from a sound sleep.

For as long as the teen could remember, she had always wanted to be a part of the famed Valkyrie Brigade. No, Emily corrected herself, her ambition had been to lead the brigade to further glory and to etch her name alongside those commanders, like Victoria Seras, who would be recalled down through the ages. Though she'd be loath to admit it, the desire to not only be the best, but to also be acknowledged as the best, still drove Emily.

Brigade Commander was her ultimate goal, so why would she dream about being the Grandmistress? After seeing what Grandmistress Seras went through at Ostia, she couldn't think of a more thankless, less glorious job. Generals received medals while politicians, it seemed, received blame. No, it didn't make any more sense than Collet being the commander of Ariadne's military forces.

("Not like that could happen now,") she thought. After returning from her mother's, Emily had been summoned to the Commandant's office and informed of the beagle-girl's performance during training. Although Captain Hild had suspended the action until the term's end, it was a foregone conclusion that Collet would be kicked out of the program.

In any given year, only 3 percent of students met the standards to become cadets. Nine out of ten who qualified eventually washed out of the program. Collet was the first casualty of a process designed to weed out the majority and leave the truly worthy.

A bad taste filled Emily's mouth at the last thought. Truly worthy? Would the Commandant or the Lance Corporal consider themselves that way? Certainly not! The Valkyries she had daily contact with were professionals who trained long and hard to get where they were. Respect shown to them was a matter of pride, and even lowly cadets were expected to do nothing that would bring dishonor to the Brigade. From that vantage point, the su-jin girl could see her attitude for the bit of petty snobbery it was.

Closing her eyes, she could see another Emily, with arms crossed in front of her chest, an expression of smug superiority across her face. As she had all the way through school, the other Emily berated Collet for being too slow, too clumsy, too much of a dunce. Her classmate could never be a Valkyrie, would never amount to anything. Like a recorder in playback mode, every spiteful word or action she had directed at the other girl repeated itself. {"I'm as much to blame as she is,") Emily realized.

When the light turned on, Emily's eyes snapped open to find a disheveled Collet standing before her. "Oh sorry," the girl said. "I need to shower."

"Where have you been?"

"I was out practicing on the obstacle course," Collet answered. "I need to improve my score if I'm to have any chance of staying."

That other Emily reared up to deliver a withering taunt but was immediately stomped upon. "What part seems to be giving you problems?" she asked instead.

"Well, all of it to be truthful," the beagle-girl admitted, "But I'm having the toughest time with the target shooting."

Emily realized she'd never be able to make full amends for her previous actions, but that it wouldn't hurt to start trying. "I'm not too bad on that section," she said. "Would you, um, like some help with it?"

"Are you serious?"

The astonished look on Collet's face burned itself into Emily's memory. "Yeah, I'm serious."

/200104AMAI2004/ARIADNE/CONFIDENCE/COURSE/

(The Observation.)

Breath turned into white puffs in the chill air as two cadets dressed in training armor hovered above the ground. "You're cutting too sharply on your turns," Emily said. "You need to slow down and aim your shots."

"But what about the time limit?" Collet replied.

"You can't afford to miss any more than 1 target out of every 5," Emily pointed out. "Concentrate on aiming first and then we'll work on shaving a few seconds off elsewhere."

"Okay," the other cadet agreed. "Ready to do it again?"

Holding a clenched fist before her, Emily grinned. "Let's go!"

Through a circle formed by her thumb and forefinger, Captain Hild watched as the two girls shot off to tackle the obstacle course again. "How long have they been out there?"

"Going on two hours now," Lance Corporal Ibanez answered. "How much longer should I let them continue?"

Captain Hild had watched Emily's development with interest. The teen had talent and could be a valuable addition to the Brigade, but fell short as a leader. Emily had no problem with issuing orders, but had failed to grasp the need to develop her subordinates and earn their loyalty. Perhaps the youngster was finally catching on.

"Let them go through a few more times," the captain answered as her hand dropped down. "Just make sure they know when it's nearly time for the morning muster."

A sharp salute, quickly returned by Lance Corporal Ibanez, and Captain Hild was gone.

/281330AMAI2004/ARIADNE/CADET/COMMANDANT/OFFICE/

(The Believer.)

Captain Vigdis Hild scanned the faces of her cadet leaders as she finished reading off the list of mission participants. The three girls, one from each of the year groups, showed the normal mixture of eagerness, apprehension and… disappointment? Surprised by the frown on Cadet Sevensheep's face, the captain asked; "Are there any questions?" Emily raised her hand. "Yes squad leader Sevensheep?"

"Cadet Farandole wasn't included in my squad Captain Hild," the youngest leader said. "May I know the reason why?"

Keeping her own expression neutral, Vigdis set the list down and looked the first year leader straight in the eye. "As you are no doubt aware, the Valkyrie Brigade often works closely with forces from other nations," she replied. "Joint exercises like this are used to establish the necessary interoperability and cooperation."

Though aware of the long hours both Emily and Collet had devoted to extra training on their own time, the thought that Cadet Farandole would revert to previous form had been uppermost when planning for the annual exercise. "You will be training side by side with cadet units of the Hellas Empire," she continued to explain. "We need to ensure that nothing unfortunate occurs."

Stiffening to attention, Emily gave Captain Hild a look that all but accused the Commandant of a bald-faced questioning of her competence as a squad leader. "I have full confidence in Cadet Faradole's ability to carry out this mission, Captain Hild! I request that the cadet be allowed to participate. Especially since to do otherwise would place an unnecessary burden on the other squad members, who have all been training with Cadet Farandole, and expect her to be there to do her part in ANY mission the squad may be assigned!"

A silence, broken only by the steady ticking of a wall clock, settled over them. Captain and cadet faced each other as cool logic grappled with granite-like intransigence. "Very well then," Vigdis finally said. "See to your squad, Miss Sevensheep."

After saluting smartly along with the others, Emily turned and led the way out of the Commandant's office. As the door swung shut behind the group of future leaders, Captain Hild had a pleased look on her face that the blonde cadet would have surely have found most puzzling.

/010705AIUN2004/HELLAS/EMPIRE/JUVAVUM/

(The Mission.)

Skimming just above treetop level, nine cadets from Ariadne's first year class sped through the Geiereck Pass. Each member of the exercise's Gamma Squad heard the constant beep of the HES Pampanito's homing beacon. Several hours ago they had been roused from slumber as the bulkhead light flashed on and was followed by the lance corporal's bellow of "Move it cadets!"

Collet had immediately sat upright and regretted it when her head collided against a pipe running across the ceiling of their berth.

"What time is it?" a groggy-sounding voice asked as the beagle-girl grasped her forehead.

"It's exactly 0325," their instructor answered. "You have 20 minutes to form up on the flight deck in full armor."

At precisely 0345, the cadets were issued rations and a weapon while each squad leader was given a sealed package of instructions. "From the moment you leave this deck and for the next 72 hours, you will all fall under the operational control of Captain Summers of the Pampanito and his staff," Captain Hild told all of the cadets. "For the duration of this exercise, you will not be considered cadets; everyone who sees you, be it military or civilian, will see members of the Valkyrie Brigade. Conduct yourselves accordingly."

Three Hours and nearly 300 kilometers later, the captain's warning still reverberated in Collet's ears as she adjusted her speed to maintain position in the squad's formation. Each of her companions had flown in the previous year's broom rally and represented the cream of the cadet corps. Although the beagle-girl had always wanted to be a Valkyrie, ever since she was young enough to hear stories of the brave and daring warriors, Collet had to admit being scared at that moment. Everyone would be watching her; there could be no cutting corners, no laughing off failures, and no one to fall back on.

Her uncle, Grandmistress Seras, that white-haired boy from the swamp, even Emily; for reasons the girl might never understand, they had all gone out of their way to help her succeed. Guilt struck arrow-like as Collet didn't really believe she was worth their efforts, none the less she pledged to do everything possible to validate their faith.

Cresting a slight rise, the trail plunged downward towards a plain that stretched out before them. About 10 kilometers to the north lay a small town. Juvavum was known for both its picturesque buildings and nut-filled strudel. Beyond, the Pampanito floated serenely. Eager to meet her destiny, the broom shot forward.

"Farandole!" Emily's voice boomed in the helmet's headphone. "Get back into formation!"

The next few days spun by quickly as they broke into fire teams and mixed in with their imperial counterparts on simulated patrols, ship anti air defense drills, combat sorties and even a special operations mission to disable an enemy artillery battery. It was an exhilarating time, marred only by one incident.

She had put the mana power packs for their lances in the charging station overnight and had been mortified to discover their magical energy levels were still nearly empty in the morning. The beagle-girl frantically tore through their baggage to find replacement packs, leaving a mess for the squad to clean up later. The problem turned out to be that the ship's station wasn't compatible with their weapons. After they had straightened up the baggage hold, Captain Summers presented a letter commending her for identifying a problem that could have jeopardized future, joint operations.

On the third morning, she had drawn Jei, Sachi and Anna as teammates as their squad was assigned to do a ground sweep along the town's northwest perimeter for signs of possible enemy infiltration. The aroma of roasting nuts and baking bread drifted by, tantalizing her with their scents. "Walnuts, almonds," she sighed while sniffing deeply. "I bet they even have deku nuts."

"You can't eat deku nuts," Jei replied. "They'll explode in your mouth."

"That's only when you break open the shells," Collet told her. "The nuts are perfectly safe to eat."

Their discussion was cut short as headphones squealed to sudden life. "THIS IS REAL WORLD!" Ibanez shouted. "I REPEAT! THIS IS REAL WORLD!"

Four pairs of eyes, gapping wide in shock, peered at each other from beneath crested helmets.

"WE HAVE A DEMONIC INCURSION AT VECTOR 17132! IMPLEMENT EVACUATION PROCEDURES FOR THE TOWN OF JUVAVUM IMMEDIATELY!" the lance corporal ordered. "THIS IS NOT AN EXERCISE!"

Weapons were set to full power as Fire Team Gamma 2 rushed towards the nearest building to carry out their orders.

/031108AIUN2004/HELLAS/EMPIRE/JUVAVUM/

(The Forge.)

Teeth chattering, Collet Farandole hid in the shadows of a blind alley between two buildings as uncounted demons of an unusual type rampaged about the town of Juvavum. Smashing everything in their path, they sought out an expected wealth of helpless prey who were, to their increasing frustration, no longer there. Emily Sevensheep and the rest of her squad had gone to escort the last of Juvavum's residents towards the safety of approaching Hellas reinforcements, while she had volunteered to go back one more time to make sure no one else remained.

Now she was trapped. Any attempt to escape would bring more demons than she'd thought even existed down on poor, helpless little Collet Farandole. They would tear her apart, and her uncle would get to write a letter to Negi Springfield whose contents the Beagle-man could never have originally imagined...

Brought back to reality by a sudden quiet, Collet prayed a hoped for chance to get away had presented itself. Apparently, the same idea also occurred to two small children, who suddenly broke from the shelter of a pet tokage's house and began running down the main road leading out of Juvavum. They'd gone no more than a dozen steps when a demon came out of concealment behind them.

Making the high-pitched trilling these strange demons seemed to use to communicate; the creature started after the two children and was upon them faster than they could even realize their danger. It reached back to slash with its claws, and then let out an agonized shriek as a lance suddenly pierced it through the chest.

Turning as the demon dissolved and vanished, the two children saw only a savior in the form of one of the visitors from Ariadne. "Ma... Master Valkyrie! There's so many of them! What should we do?"

Blinking, Collet came back to reality at the sound of words she'd never in her life expected to hear. Lowering her lance, she looked down dumbly at the two children, and then started at the sounds heralding the approach of more of Juvavum's attackers. Gathering the children up, she ran back to her original hiding place and tossed them inside. "Ge... get as far back in there as you can! Don't move, and try not to make any noise!"

Quickly, the two children obeyed as Collet turned around and began backing down the alley after them. Sooner than she might have wished, a demon found their hiding place.

With no other choice, Collet discharged her lance and the demon vanished. Two more took its place, and their efforts at attacking before they were dispatched forced her further back into the alley. More still came, and she soon began shouting without even hearing herself... "EMILY'S GOING TO COME BACK! I KNOW SHE WILL! SHE'D NEVER LEAVE ME ALONE LIKE THIS!" Over and over, the words flowed from her mouth, until the lance was exhausted and the only thing keeping the demons at bay was the fact the alley was so narrow, only one or two could attack at a time, making it easy to wield the lance like a spear.

Eventually, a shriek drew Collet's eyes towards a bat-winged demon jumping down on her from above. As a friendly-fire warning signal began sounding unheard in her communication system, she raised the lance fearlessly towards the demon with a calm brought on by an ardent belief in the words still running through her mind...

_("Emily will be here...")_

/031148AIUN2004/HELLAS/EMPIRE/JUVAVUM/

(The Cost.)

Emotional agony tearing at her heart and mind, Emily Sevensheep watched as the Hellas Military Sagita artillery barrage rolled back and forth across Juvavum. Not enough regular forces had been available to counter the demon attack, but a Sagita Artillery unit had been practicing nearby. With it as a force equalizer, the three Valkyrie Cadet units commanded by Lance Corporal Ibanez, along with the Hellas training units, should be enough to contain the demon attack until more powerful regular forces could arrive.

Beyond the unfortunate damage being caused by the Sagita artillery barrage within Juvavum, there was likely an addition price to be paid. For a brief time, Emily had heard Collet shouting incoherently over their Valkyrie armor's communications system. Now that the Hellas artillery unit was churning Juvavum and the demons within it into so much rubble, the shouting had stopped.

If only... If only she hadn't decided to try and help salvage Collet for the Valkyrie Brigade... the constantly smiling beagle-girl would have been expelled... and would still be alive...

/031452AIUN2004/HELLAS/EMPIRE/JUVAVUM/

(The Victory.)

Filled with dread at what she might find, Emily Sevensheep followed the accusatory, monotonous beeping coming from the locator beacon of Collet Farandole's Valkyrie armor to its source, a narrow alley between two buildings, shattered by Sagita artillery, which had collapsed against each other. _'No Valkyrie shall ever be left behind on a field of battle,' _was an article of faith to the Valkyrie Brigade... Lance Corporal Ibanez and the others were busy, so as terrible as such a duty was, it had fallen to Emily and the other cadets of Collet Farandole's squad to recover their own...

An hour later, and they had still not found the Beagle girl. Her armor's beacon signal was strong, so it had likely not been destroyed, but it seemed as if Collet had backed herself as far into the blind alley they were clearing as it was possible to go.

Several more meters of rubble were cleared, and Beatrix Monroe suddenly signaled for quiet.

Listening carefully, Emily thought she could hear the sound of children crying. Quickly resuming their work, she and her squad were rewarded with the appearance of one of Collet's armored boots. A few moments later, a gap appeared under the rubble, out of which crawled two small, terribly frightened, but seemingly unharmed children. Von Katze and du Sha took them away, while Emily and Beatrix returned with a vengeance to the task at hand.

Soon, the reason for the gap made itself plain. When the buildings had collapsed into the alley, Collet's weapon lance had folded over and acted like a brace, keeping the rubble from completely crushing those below.

Becoming almost frantic, Emily began tossing the rubble aside with wild abandon. "The... the gods love a fool..."

Understanding the hope in her squad-leader's quote, Beatrice stood back to make sure none of the other precariously balanced rubble tried to unexpectedly ruin the rescue.

Within seconds, Emily had Collet's body free. Taking the beagle-girl in her arms, she ran back out of the still dangerous, wreckage-filled alley with Beatrix close behind. Once safely in the street, she carefully lay her fellow Valkyrie Cadet down.

Dried blood stained several slashes of apparently demonic origin in the upper surfaces of Collet's armor, but it seemed as if the gorget protecting her throat had taken the brunt of the damage.

Heart racing with hope, Emily undid the appropriate fasteners, then carefully removed Collet's helm. The beagle-girl's face and neck were scarred, but her color was good, indicating she still lived.

Relieved more than she could express with words, Emily began to gently slap Collet's cheeks, trying to wake her up. Responding quickly, the beagle-girl's eyes eventually fluttered open...

Seeing Emily leaning down over her, Collet had to smile. "I... I knew you'd come save me Emily..."

Watching the scene from afar while also reviewing the downloaded action record from Collet Farandole's armor, Lance Corporal Ibanez could only shake her head. Three weeks ago, Collet Farandole had been a basket case. Now, either by her intense training, instinct, divine intervention, or just plain luck, the beagle-girl had done everything right during an extremely dangerous incident. Such clarity of action would argue strongly in her favor for retention in the Valkyrie training program. She might still fail. She might still revert to her previous form, but if things stayed the way they were, Collet Farandole could quite possibly be on the way to a long and distinguished career in the Ariadne Valkyrie Mage Knight Brigade.

oware.

(-)

**Authors' Notes:**

**Collet Farandole and her Provisional Pactio Card: Please refer to Makuhari_Fan01's 'Ala Alba in the World of Magic' for further information on this.**

**Young Collet Farandole and the boy who saved her: Though not mentioned previously in either 'Ala Alba in the World of Magic,' or 'Markham Chronicles Negima,' this would make Collet Farandole one of the war-orphans helped by Fate Averruncus.**

**The Future: These events have their origins in the background for Makuhari_Fan01's story: 'Chao Lingshen: Coming Home.' For more information related to the Bermuda Triangle one-way gate, see also 'Ala Alba in the World of Magic' chapter 13.**

**Adenaur MagiTech Heavy Infantry: Effectively a suit of powered-armor which uses magic and science, similar in function and design to Robert Heinlein's Mobile Infantry armor, (Starship Troopers novel,) or Masamune Shiro's Guges Landmates. (Appleseed manga.)**

**Lance Corporal: the lowest non-commissioned officer rank in the militaries of the Mundus Magicus. In Ariadne, the rank is appointed by commanders and is used to allow promising privates to fill junior leadership positions that would otherwise remain empty until promotions caught up to the demand.**

**The Order of the Golden Gryphon: awarded to military members only for exceptional bravery, leadership or command in battle. Normally cadets wouldn't be eligible for this medal, but those who travelled to Ostia as auxiliary Valkyries were considered to be under military orders for the duration of the trip. Of course, they didn't receive any pay for the trip. No doubt they have a saying about "drawing cadet's pay" for working for nothing.**

**Date/Time/Group: heading for military reports and used in the section separators. First two digits refer to the day of the month, the next four reflect the time of day on a 24-hour clock. The fifth position is an alphabetic character that indicates the time zone: A for Ariadne, H for Hellas Empire and M for Megalo-Mesembria. Ariadne units will use A no matter where they are. Next three characters are for the month (MAI for May and IUN for June). The last four digits are the year.**

**Military Units: squads number from 8 to 13 members and can be broken into 2 or more Fire Teams. Fire Teams are comprised of 2 to 4 members and are the smallest units in modern infantry. **


End file.
